Disc Golf Taking Off in Santa Cruz and Around the World

Thursday in the Santa Cruz area was more disc crazy than any other place on Earth. In addition to third round action at four area disc golf courses, the Wharf and Main Beach in Santa Cruz was host to the Fly Mart, a village of vendors selling all things disc, as well as a putting and driving exposition.

Catch Friday's and Saturday's tournament here.

See the video above of a beautiful winning putting performance by Terry Miller, known to many who watch his video blog as the Disc Golf Guy, an appropriate name considering his skill in putting.

People present at the event were also blessed to see a rare disc golf specimen, the ever elusive hole-in-one, AKA, the Ace, thrown by Sepu Paju, 16-year-old disc golfer, who traveled from Finland to compete in the PDGA 2011 Disc Golf World Championships, and throw the winning shot off Santa Cruz's Wharf, over the Pacific Ocean and straight into the tiny basket on the Main Beach.

“It looked like it was pulled on a string the whole way across the water!” said Chip Frink of Oroville, Ca, a volunteer at the event.

The disc golf competition itself gathered significant momentum on its third day, and the sheer endurance of the nearly week-long competition has began to separate the best disc golfers from those who will need better luck and lots more practice before next years Disc Golf World Championships.

Santa Cruz local Nate Doss has extended his lead on the competition in the Mens Open Division, with a tremendous -39 under par after playing three of the four courses. His victory is by no means set in stone, however, as Derek Billings, Will Shusterick, Eric Mccabe, and Josh Anthon are all within 9 throws of the lead. Lefty Derek Billings is a mere 5 strokes behind Doss, a lag which Billings blames on his rough start Thursday at Ryan Ranch.

“I started off rough, but then I got better and better.”

If Billings wins, he could be the only lefty world champion in PDGA history.

The score leaders will compete for the leading scores Friday at Watsonvilles Pinto Lake Disc Golf Course, and the competition will continue into Saturdays Semi-Finals and Finals, both to be held at Pinto Lake.

The competition for the lead in the Womens Open Division has also begun to widen, however, local Valarie Jenkins is in a tight battle for first place, merely one stroke behind Paige Pierce.

Local Johnathon Baldwin has pulled into a five stroke lead in the Masters Division (ages 49-59), but his victory is by no means written in stone.

Fridays competition will determine who makes the cut to the Semi-Finals, and being the forth round in as many days, victory will be a feat of mental endurance as much as anything else.

Many golfers feel the performance of those they play with to be an important factor in their own actions.

“Just like yawning, failure is contagious,” Said Chris Edwards of Felton, who managed to play three under par Thursday at Ryan Ranch.

To see footage of Edwards' best long-distance birdie putts Thursday, see the above video links.

A victor for this years PDGA Disc Golf World Championships has by no means been decided, for anything can happen between now and the end of Saturdays finals held at the unforgiving Pinto Lake Disc Golf Course.

To see an official schedule as well as score postings thus far into the competition, see the PDGA event website

http://www.pdga.com/tournament_results/16466

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